Keep helicopter loitering until conditions are met?

[HKFlash 9]

Hello,

I think I've found a problem with the loitering waypoint (which is not surprising since its not new).

I want an UH-80 to remain loitering until all enemies are killed but when I sync a trigger with the OPFOR - Not Present to it and then add a GET OUT waypoint, the helicopter does nothing but stand still hovering at the loiter location. If I don't add the GET OUT waypoint (or any other for that matter) the helicopter correctly loiters the area.

I want the helicopter to remain loitering until the enemies are killed and then return to base.

Anyone found this issue? I want to be sure before opening a ticket.

[TGxAltair 10]

Link the 'Get out' waypoint to the trigger instead of the Loiter.

Should work, mate.

[HKFlash 9]

Link the 'Get out' waypoint to the trigger instead of the Loiter.

Should work, mate.

That doesnt work. Please try this stuff yourself before posting. It may well be a bug.

[cuel 25]

I've seen bug reports where AI heli's completely ignore waypoints if there are enemies present.

[f2k sel 164]

Have you tried this.

waypoints

1. move

2. loiter (at least 200 meters away)

3. cycle (place close to move you should see a line linking the cycle to the move)

4. getout (place a heli pad for better landings)

trigger

5. trigger type switch synced to the cycle Wp, set the conditions you want.

when the condition of the triggers are true the cycle is ended and chopper moves to get out.

[kylania 567]

Why do you want your helicopter to travel indolently and with frequent pauses?

What is the loiter waypoint supposed to do that a hold doesn't? Or seemingly what a move doesn't? Seems a strange waypoint type to use.

[clydefrog 3]

I've seen bug reports where AI heli's completely ignore waypoints if there are enemies present.

This could be the problem, if the helo sees any enemy it interferes with what it's been told to do.

Edited July 10, 2013 by clydefrog

[f2k sel 164]

It does seem a pointless command as you can achieve the same thing with a two or three move waypoints.

[HKFlash 9]

It does seem a pointless command as you can achieve the same thing with a two or three move waypoints.

That's completely false. And please if you guys come with those arguments of pointless commands I would apreciate if you didn't actually answer the thread. The loiter waypoint is there and it should work. It doesnt matter why do I want to use it, it matters that its or its not working properly. That why I posted in the first place.

[cuel 25]

Worked 5 times out of 5 (not counting the times the heli crashed into trees) when I tested it:

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/14106901/test_loiter.Stratis.rar

[kylania 567]

The loiter waypoint is there and it should work. It doesnt matter why do I want to use it, it matters that its or its not working properly. That why I posted in the first place.

Our problem is we don't know what it's supposed to do. :) The wiki just said "loiter" which is basically meaningless. I tested it and the heli just fly right past the marker as if it were a move waypoint. So we can't tell you if it's working or not without knowing what's supposed to happen.

[cuel 25]

As far as I could tell it circulates the area if there are enemies present

[kylania 567]

Ahh, ok that's why it didn't do anything for me in my test. I didn't have any enemies.

[cuel 25]

I was also using a condition for the next waypoint so I do not know how it behaves without that.

[dr_strangepete 6]

i'll confirm, after playing around with this for an hour or two, that there is infact a bug; and cuel is correct, if an enemy is present the heli will loiter when not the last waypoint in a string.

the bug is that when Loiter is set as the last editor placed waypoint, it will correctly loiter around the area: hang out and fly a rough circle around the centerpoint. BUT when there is one more waypoint, regardless how it is triggered (synchronized or via variables and conditions), and no enemy, it will just hover above this point. the expected result is the same as the former, will fly circles around waypoint. IF an enemy is present, and there is a triggered waypoint after the Loiter, the heli will also Loiter, although seemingly at a much greater radius (even for a single unarmed opfor), And only for as long as the enemy is present, once gone it will hover again.

technically for all situations above, it IS loitering...its just not consistant in the manner of.

in the meantime, as a workaround, you could consider having the loiter as the last waypoint to exploit this behavior, and have your trigger instead add a go-home waypoint via scripting. just a thought.

if you file a bug report post the link, i'll upvote

[ceeeb 147]

There are some details of the loiter waypoint available in VBS documentation, presumably the Arma 3 waypoint type is taken from VBS:

http://manuals.bisimulations.com/vbs2/2-00/manuals/#Editor_Manual/Appendix_1_Waypoint_Types.htm

(interesting to see the VBS 2D mission editor documentation seems to be based upon the mission editor BI wiki article I wrote for Arma...)

[old_painless 182]

Lucky VBS bastards - they actually get documentation of what features do

[kylania 567]

We're starting to get better documentation in ArmA3. A lot of the devs have been really good about wiki'ing new information.